


“Hey, you’re in Vet school, right?”

by TheonethingIcancontrol (Calire)



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, First Meetings, Fluff, Light Angst, Light-Hearted, M/M, alex gets nervous at hospitals, john laurens has a tortoise
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-31
Updated: 2016-08-31
Packaged: 2018-08-12 05:20:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7922065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Calire/pseuds/TheonethingIcancontrol
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The dark haired boy in front of him smiles sheepishly and holds up a hand wrapped in what looks like a garish kitchen towel “Hey, you’re in Vet school, right?” he asks brightly and John can’t help but do a double take, now noticing the blood starting to soak the towel “Yeah… and?”<br/>He waves the bloodied arm and rolls his eyes, his voice picking up speed “It’s just a couple of stitches, there’s no need for the ER. And the campus med center is closed.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	“Hey, you’re in Vet school, right?”

John pulls on a hoodie and hurries to the door, who the heck is looking for him past nine during finals week?  
He frowns when he finds a familiar face and after a heartbeat he recognizes the boy from one of the other rooms on the floor. He doesn’t even know his name.  
The dark haired boy in front of him smiles sheepishly and holds up a hand wrapped in what looks like a garish kitchen towel “Hey, you’re in Vet school, right?” he asks brightly and John can’t help but do a double take, now noticing the blood starting to soak the towel “Yeah… and?”  
He waves the bloodied arm and rolls his eyes, his voice picking up speed “It’s just a couple of stitches, there’s no need for the ER. And the campus med center is closed.”

John stares at him a few seconds longer, debating why in hell should he consent to help the madman on his doorstep, but in the end steps aside to let him in “You’re completely out of your mind!” he exclaims as he shuts the door “What even happened?”  
The boy shrugs, making his way to the bathroom without so much as a question and unwrapping the hand on John’s sink, showing a pretty gory slash opening his palm from the thumb for a little less than two inches “I was cooking dinner and the knife slipped.” he explains while the blood drips copiously.  
John stares at the boy for another few seconds and then snaps out of it, walks up to him and takes his hand gently to assess the situation properly “That’s… I don’t think I can fix that! I don’t have the kit here! Come on, I’ll drive you to the hospital.” his voice is warm but firm.  
The young man looks away and John frowns. “Come on.” he repeats, washing the wound under cold water carefully, trying to slow down the blood flow and give him a moment to think about the offer.

There’s something about his neighbor that reminds him of a skittish cat, his confidence turning mistrust the moment he doesn’t have control over the situation, his eyes shifting as he considers his options away from the young man at his side.  
John gets a roll of gauze from his cabinet and wraps the injured hand again. The lithe man keeps still, and that’s when the taller boy shifts, puts an arm around his shoulders and leads him out, ignoring any meek protest.

Once John is driving the young man sighs and leans forward, pressing his cheek against the glass. “The smell of blood is making me nauseous” he mutters, and John rolls down the window without missing a beat. He pretends he doesn’t mind the cold air filling the car   
“You didn’t have to do this.”  
John shrugs" It’s alright, I’m alright with the cold.“ he smiles at him and the dark haired man rolls his eyes "You’re John, right?”  
“Yes… And you are?”  
“Alexander, but Alex is alright. I’m not a stalker, just saying. Ned Stevens mentioned you.”  
John smiles “Oh, Ned. He’s moved away right?” he asks softly “How is he doing?”  
Alex shrugs “Fine.” he mutters, and John raises an eyebrow, surprised by the slight bitterness in his voice “Is it a sore spot?”  
Alex sighs, his shoulders slumping just a little. He shakes his head, staring at the blood staining the gauze “No, I miss him. He’s my adoptive brother.”  
“Makes sense then. Here we are…” he parks carefully and gets out of the car, although Alex seems disinterested in following that lead.   
And they’re back to the skittish cat.  
John opens the door for him, crouching so he can look at Alex properly “I’m going to make a wild guess and say that you don’t like hospitals. But I promise we’ll be in and out before you can realize it.” he says softly, daring to slowly put his hand on top of Alex’s uninjured one and squeeze it gently, just enough to make him feel his presence.

With the flurry of events that brought them here John didn’t have time to focus on his face but he’s surprised now by a peculiar beauty, handsome with that dishevelled vibe. He might be too skinny and a few nights of sleep would do him good for certain, but he has a charm to him. John would like to say it’s the eyes if it didn’t sound terribly cheesy. A few strands of dark hair that got loose from the bun at his nape now frame his face and make his cheekbones just slightly sharper.  
Caught in his considerations, John almost jumps when Alex turns his own hand and properly takes his. Instead he simply shuffles and gets up with Alex, smiling at him brightly and shutting the car door.

John leads the way inside and gets the form and a pen before getting Alex in a chair and sitting in the one beside him.  
He notices Alex staring at the floor intently, he can see the tension in the set of his shoulders. he knows that stance all too well.  
John touches his knee gently. It’s casual, barely a tap to remind the other boy of his presence “Help me out filling this?” he asks quietly before starting to read out the questions. They’re personal, but Alex doesn’t seem to mind about that at the moment.  
It takes them a good while to get to the end of it. Alex gets distracted often, his eyes lose focus and he gets tense again.

There’s a woman, well in her thirties, and every time she coughs Alex jumps just slightly and it takes him a moment longer to reply to John’s questions. John doesn’t acknowledge it and every time he gets back to him Alex gives him just the hint of a smile.  
When they’re done John gives the form at the nurse station and sits again, refusing to leave Alex alone for longer than what’s strictly necessary.

Alex’s breathing has picked up a little and John places his hand on his own thigh, palm up. He can see Alex’s eyes darting to the side a few times before he grabs it and doesn’t let go.  
It’s another hour before Alex gets called in, and after a glance at John he goes in on his own. When he comes out John ushers him to the door quickly, letting him take a breath of fresh air before walking further.  
Now it feels like they can smile again “Here we are. It wasn’t so horrible, was it? And your hand will heal properly… Did they give you any aftercare?”  
Alex pulls out a small sheet of paper and hands it to John “This, I think it’s change the medication once a day? I… I wasn’t paying too much attention.” he admits quietly and John squints to read it and nods “Yeah, I have the necessary in my room if you want. You can swing by and I’ll help you out.” he offers with a warm smile as they climb in the car.

Alex sighs “I’m sorry, by the way. It’s finals week and I barged in like this and stole almost three hours of your life. And we didn’t even know each other.”  
John smiles “It’s okay, it’s probably a good thing after all… Mix stuff up, keep it exciting.” he winks as he drives out of the parking lot “Do you want to grab a bite?”  
Alex looks up at John, and the freckled boy thinks he can read a slight surprise in the way his eyes go just a bit wider, his eyebrows arching just so, then he rushes to respond “Sure… But it’s on me, as a thank you. And tomorrow, because I don’t have my wallet with me…” he pauses and his shoulders open up, his body twisting towards John and his eyes alight with a spark of confidence, he smirks “Shall we make it a date?”

John can feel his ears go up in flames and his fingers tighten around the wheel. He takes the few seconds that separate them from the stoplight to consider it, only turning once the car is idle to see Alex grinning. The grin of someone who knows perfectly well his flirt has been well received, of course he’s used to it.   
“Yeah. Let’s make it a date.” John finally agrees, pointedly ignoring the way his voice scales up embarrassingly,then clears his throat and fixes Alex with a firm gaze “But I’m still making you a sandwich when we get back. It’s finals week and we need energy.”

The silence that falls after a soft chuckle from Alex is comfortable and warm, John stealing glances he thinks Alex doesn’t notice, his lips curled up as he considers the unexpected turn of events.

While he fixes their sandwiches John keeps an eye on Alex discreetly and smiles to himself, watching him politely snoop around his dorm room. Of course he stops by his tortoise’s terrarium, it’s large, well kept and nicely decorated. John takes pride in it.  
“She’s Martha.” he supplies with a proud grin and Alex smiles back “Interesting pet choice.”  
There’s a bit of teasing in his voice but it’s good natured. The way his eyes linger on John betray his lack of genuine interest in the animal, but John can’t help himself. He finishes one sandwich and puts it down before walking over to Alex with a treat for Martha, who eats it up eagerly.  
John pets her, his lips curling in an affectionate smile “Turtles are my favorite animals, but the friend who gifted her to me didn’t really know the difference between tortoises and turtles.” the young man explains with a chuckle, going back to finish his own sandwich.   
Alex laughs and quickly joins him in the kitchenette, sitting at the table. “What about the name? Not very pet-like.”  
John smiles and shrugs “It’s after my best friend and my sister”. He doesn’t add to that and Alex doesn’t ask further explanations.

They eat a few bites in companionable silence, John feeling his cheeks flush when Alex casually brushes their knees together under the table. He looks at him, but he has the most innocent look on his face, and if it weren’t for that spark he’d seen in the car John would think him naive.  
“Do you have any exams tomorrow? I’d feel terribly guilty if you did.”  
John laughs but then sighes “I do, actually. One at two o’ clock and another at four. But don’t worry. What about you?”  
Alex cringes, but then rubs his forehead “Yes, one at ten and another at twelve. How are you feeling?”  
John shrugs “Alright.” he saiys softly. It’s not a particularly interesting subject, although of course it’s all they can think about for the moment. “What about you?”  
“Same.” his voice is quiet, almost subdued. John can see him slumping a little in his chair, his shoulders drooping. Must be the adrenaline rush wearing off. Not to mention it’s well past midnight.

When they finish their dinner John leads Alex to the door, his hand curling gently just above the small of the man’s back. “This was an eventful night”, he jokes, and Alexander laughs, shaking his head.  
He pats John’s shoulder and squeezes it after a moment, a matching smile on their faces “Tomorrow night then? Seven?”

“Seven. I’m looking forward to it.”


End file.
